Higher Fire
by Teyerin
Summary: Two teams, two cases. They really don't have anything in common, or do they?
1. Bundles

Disclaimer: If I had even an hour of Wolf-dom, I'd have retired.

Summary: Two teams working two separate cases. Two trials, two different defense attorneys facing the same DA duo of Rubirosa and Borgia.

Author's Note(s): This is still an AU setup, somewhat on the timeline used/set up for Nightmares & Knots/Dreams & Strands. Yet, this is also a separate story that doesn't require the reader to be bored in reading the aforementioned titles.

Reference is made to the case/episode of year 16: "Choice of Evils' with Tina Keith's baby's gender known. The changeup for this piece is that Serena Southerlyn was the second chair, not Alex; Fontana wasn't Ed's partner, but a fill-in due to Mike's absence. Ron Carver has taken Arthur Branch's place.

Author's stubbornness includes: Keeping Jack's daughter the same, despite canon; still pairing Logan and Green/Fontana and Cassady because I can; Jack married and working elsewhere, oh, and Lennie still hosting poker games, just because.

Higher Fire

Chapter 1: Bundles

The couple walking by didn't usually take this part of the trail during their morning walks. In fact, it wasn't until they neared the middle of the path that they realized the 'major' detour. The two of them debated whether or not to continue or turn back, each facing the opposite direction. That was when the bundle, tiny as could be, was seen, under the bush.

--

Joe Fontana came up behind the medical examiner, withholding a sigh of grief, anger and disappointment at the victim. He knew the ME was taking it to heart, no matter all the years on the job – Roth whipped around on her heels and let out her frustration on him.

"If people don't want children or can't handle the responsibility, there are plenty of people who do. This child didn't stand a chance given how this pacifier was taped around his head." She practically spat out the last few words in Fontana's face.

Fontana knelt down beside her. "How long ago would you say this happened, Kali?"

"Baby's been here since last night. The poor thing would have died of starvation if she hadn't suffocated first."

"Babysitter gone bad," Fontana offered, "maybe to protect the parents?"

Roth shook her head. "Gut feeling, Joe? The parents deserve death."

-------

"Baby Jane Doe." Anita Van Buren shook her head as she set down the initial report the medical examiner had written up. "Tell me we have more to go on, please."

Fontana shook his head. "Cassady and I have canvassed the area where the body was found and the only thing we could turn up was that someone or some ones were possibly running through the park around midnight."

"And no one has thought to look into which way or towards what these possible witnesses or suspects went?" Van Buren asked, not satisfied.

Nina Cassady spoke up referencing her notepad. "We have a vague description of a car and a partial plate – none of the numbers or letters matching what others said."

Van Buren removed her glasses and rubbed away the frustration from her eyes. "We've gotta have something, people. There's no way a baby could be buried under a bush, in a blanket bag with a pacifier taped to her mouth and no one seeing something."

Fontana sympathized with her but said bluntly, "This is New York, lieu; the city with the highest levels of blindness and hearing loss."

Cassady added, "Seems to be the norm, nationally speaking."

--------

Fontana found himself at the MEs office with Cassady and Dr. Rodgers. The older woman had the baby covered up and a collection of evidence uncovered at a nearby table.

"I've a name for you, but it isn't the baby's." She held up the quilted pouch and showed them a label that had been folded under the inside seam. "Renee Maguire. Midtown."

Cassady took a closer look at the stitched label and copied down the rest of the information. "Anything else?" she asked.

Rodgers nodded. "Taking a closer look at the baby, I can tell you that the adhesives were removed from her face and that some of it was pulled off the pacifier. It looked like the caretaker was in a rush though, because not all of it was removed." She held up a hand to keep the officers from interrupting. "The baby's face was washed recently, too. No sign of adhesive. Do you want the bad news?"

"How could it get any worse?" Fontana asked, piecing together what Rodgers said. "What remained stuck to the baby's face and that's how she died."

"True," Rodgers said, surprising him. "But, given the abuse and malnutrition she's faced, she might have died anytime." She posted some x-rays on the light board. "See this? Given the broken bones, internal bleeding, bruising and-."

"So they bury the problem?" Cassady asked angrily. "When will parents like these learn?"

Rodgers gave her a look Fontana couldn't read. Instead of answering the young detective, Rodgers pulled something out of a nearby folder. "Found hair strands from the blanket and tested one of them. She isn't the birth mother."

"Adopted mother, then," Cassady said her anger not subsiding.

Fontana had a theory of his own. "The babysitter?" he offered.

Rodgers nodded. "It's a possibility. They're definitely not related, so…"

Fontana turned to his partner and said, "Well, it looks like we have to locate Ms. Maguire."


	2. Burning

Chp. 2 - Burning

Mike Logan reluctantly answered the question, not because of the query itself or the person asking it. No, he was certain that, regardless of which answer was given, a 'lecture' was going to follow. "I plead the fifth," he said making his way to the door before Lennie Briscoe could say anything.

"Mike." Lennie rose, along with his voice, "Mike!"

He turned, not wanting to argue with his friend before going to work to argue with his partner or supervisor. "Look, Lennie-."

"Don't 'look' me, Mike." Lennie pointed a finger Mike's way. "For the record, I wasn't going to give you a lecture. Lectures are McCoy's department, got it? Seriously, are you ready? I mean, this is something you want, right?"

Mike leaned against the door, conceding to his friend's question. "I don't know, Lennie. I honestly don't know." With that, and a nod of sorts from his friend, Mike left just as his cell phone began to ring.

------

Ed Green turned to see his partner joining him at last. "You're not going to believe this," Ed said. They walked over to the remains of a car, a make and model almost indiscernible. "We've a taxi driver who didn't get a chance to hit the panic button in his cab. One of the other officers checked. Nothing."

"Robber got lucky," Logan said squinting against the smoke still coming from the scene.

Green shook his head. "This early in the morning? Doubt that."

"Do we have an I.D. on the victim?" Logan asked.

"Might be a Terrance Dahashi," Green said. "One of the officers called and gave the medallion number."

Logan shook his head. "Our turn to play with the fire cases, eh?" he said. "So, think he even made it home before this?"

Ed looked over his shoulder to see one of the other officers at the scene tapping him to follow and look at something. "Don't know," he said, following the other man. "What do you got?"

Mike took in the entire scene before him. Nothing struck him outside of the ordinary besides the smoldering car. No immediate damage nearby such as dented poles or smashed garbage cans. The car looked perfectly parked. Somehow, he doubted this was Mr. Dahashi's home address.

He made his way over to the owner of the house, an older woman who had possibly been in the middle of getting ready for work, who knew.

"Excuse me, miss? Hi. I was wondering if you could tell me who might have called for a cab. Did you happen to see if anyone around here might have…?"

The woman shook her head. "I called as soon as I saw the flames. I didn't hear anything. I'm sorry." She shook her head again. "It's my fault. Terry, he always comes by to make certain I'm…safe. And the one time he needs me…"

Mike put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "This _isn't _your fault." He thought about what she said. "He comes by here every morning then?"

"Not every morning, but…" She wiped her face. "He comes by to check on me most Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays, too if I have to work more hours." Off of Mike's look, the witness said, "I work nights and Terry makes certain I'm home. Some drunks that drop by try to follow me home."

Mike frowned at that. "Next time any creep tries that again," he handed the woman one of his cards, "you call me and _I'll_ see that you get home personally, Ms….?"

"Mrs. Webster. I'm a widow. Terry told me I remind him of his mother and so, we sorta adopted each other."

Mike listened to her a while long, then joined his partner who was now looking at something by a garbage can.

"What do you have?"

"Possibly confirmation," Green said. "Wallet's definitely Mr. Dahashi's, complete with ID, a few family pictures…" Ed muttered a curse under his breath. "Man, I don't know how we're going to break it to them."

Mike looked over Green's shoulder and saw several pictures of young children – some school photos, some casual, and one group shot. That was when he noticed the absence of a Mrs. Dahashi. "Maybe they're divorced," he suggested.

"Maybe." Either way, Green didn't want to go to this house and tell these children that their father was dead.

------

Elizabeth Rodgers removed her gloves as she looked her visitors in the eye. "He was stabbed in the chest several times."

"So," Logan said, "it wasn't the fire that killed him?"

She shook her head. "Nope. No signs of smoke inhalation. His hands were pinned behind his back too, so there was no way he could even lay in on the horn to call attention to the situation." Rodgers gestured to the chest. "To stab someone a couple of times is one thing. But, more than _nine_ times? This was personal."

Green gestured to the body on the table, "And this was definitely Terrence Dahashi?"

Rodgers nodded. "Sad to say." She handed Green a folder, "Dental records confirmed it."

"Was there a wedding ring, by chance?" Logan asked. Rodgers answered 'no.'

"Well, then maybe your theory was right," Green said.

Rodgers waited for an explanation. Logan obliged. "Given the photos found in his wallet, we figured no wife…"

She shook her head. "There's also that possibility that she's camera shy. I wish you guys luck on this one."


	3. Caretakers

Chapter 3 – Caretakers

Nina Cassady double-checked the slip of paper and the house number. "This is it," she said before she and Joe got out of the car. "Man, I don't know…what if she's…"

Nina wasn't certain what she wanted to say. Gut feeling was that the mother had something to do with it. Why her mind always jumped to the mother and never the father as the guilty party, Nina couldn't say. It was wrong, prejudicial and not a good thing to have when investigating homicides, yet she held on to the opinion.

Joe gave her a look; one she knew how to read by now, even if it varied ever so slightly from some of his other expressions. "Look, we could be dealing with an irresponsible teenager, a frazzled parent or an absent-minded person my age. Who knows? That's why we're going to go knock on the door and see, all right?"

Nina bit back a better part of a smile, enough of a turning of the corners to get a wink from Joe. Mission accomplished, she thought, amazed at how he was so good at that – relieving the pressure before the volatile point for her. "Make a wager on who answers the door?" she asked

"Save your betting for later," he told her just as they got to the door. Fontana knocked four times with the back of his knuckle. The wait seemed like forever to Nina.

"Pardon me," Joe said, holding his suede gloves in front of him, "are you Ms. Renee Maguire?"

"I'm her mother," the woman said. She squinted at them. "Who are you?"

Fontana smiled. "I'm sorry." He took out his badge and said, "I'm Detective Joe Fontana and this is my partner, Nina Cassady." Nina gave a short nod. "We're conducting an investigation and it's possible Renee might know something that would be helpful to us. Do you know where we could find her?"

Cassady studied the other woman, wondering how long it had been since she had taken care of herself properly. "That ain't my responsibility," the woman said. "Once they're outta diapers, they're on their own."

"Do you know where she was at last night, then?" Nina asked, wondering if Renee could be a runaway instead.

"No." And with that, the door was slammed in their faces.

Joe stared at the door a moment before turning to go back to the car. "Charming lady," he said.

Nina caught something out of the corner of her eye. Instinctively, she changed direction. "Joe, wait!" She walked to the side of the house then towards the back, Joe right behind her. A small child climbed out of the dog-door, brushed off the knees of some very well-worn pants then smiled up at them.

"Hi," the child said.

"Hi, back," Nina said, squatting down to look the child in the face. It was hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl given the long hair obscuring a dirty face. "I'm Nina, that's Joe. Who are you?"

"I'm Joey, too." A scab-covered hand brushed some of the hair back. "Well, it's really Josette, but that's _sooo_ girly."

Nina smiled as she and Joey turned to see Joe laugh. He sat on a nearby picnic table bench – or what was supposed to pass as one. After finding a careful means of balancing himself, Joe asked, "What about your mom? Won't she get mad for you being-?"

Joey rolled her eyes. "Puh-leeze! She fell back on the couch and started snoring again before you even made it to the walkway." Joey sat down on the ground and Nina did the same. "You're here about my sister, aren't you?" Joey looked expectantly at both of them. "Renee isn't hurt, is she? Or did Miss Keith do something stupid again? That lady's almost as crazy as my mom, but not yet."

Nina folded her hands before her as she leaned forward. "Joe and I can take you someplace safe if you want us to." 'Hell of a question to ask a ten-year-old,' Nina chided herself. Glancing back at Joe, his expression read, 'would have done the same thing.'

"Well, if Renee wasn't at Miss Keith's then she'd keep the rest of us safe. Right now, it's my job."

A child screamed from inside the house. The three of them were on their feet almost immediately, Joey leading the way as they rushed in.

Nina bit back a series of curses she wanted to scream at the mother who didn't even stir on the couch. Joey continued up the stairs, Joe pushing Nina gently on the back.

Three other children crouched in the corner of a filth-ridden room, all pointing at the source on the opposite side.

Joe stepped between the children and the rats. "Get them out of here, now," he said calmly, his arms spread out as if to offer an additional barrier for the kids' sake.

Joey picked up the smallest child while Nina picked up the other. The next oldest child grabbed both Nina and Joey's hand. On the way out, the middle child, Michael, grabbed a large backpack and a car seat from out of the closet as if they had done this a number of times before. With that, they left the house. By the time Mrs. Maguire stirred, Joe Fontana looked down at her, eyes searing and warned the woman of the numerous charging coming her way.

By the time he got to the car, Nina had finished fastening the last of the buckles. Cassady heard Joe get on the phone to tell someone or ask Van Buren to have someone from Children's Services ready to meet them at the station.

Joey took her place in the front seat between the two officers, talking over her shoulder words or reassurance to the others. Listening to her, Nina couldn't help but think this girl was well beyond her years.

And that depressed her.

-------------

Van Buren closed the door, counted to fifty quietly, then turned on her team. "I'm not going to ask," she told Fontana and Cassady. "Be sure that whatever earful I'm going to get, you'll get, too. In the meantime, what did you learn?"

Nina squirmed in her chair. She wanted to share in on the credit for pulling the kids out then and there, but Joe wouldn't let her. "We now have to track down a woman named 'Miss. Keith.' Evidently, Renee babysat for her frequently."

"No first name?" Van Buren asked tilting her head to one side wondering.

Fontana shook his head. "That's what Renee instructed the other kids to call her. Never left a number or anything, because she didn't want the kids too involved with this family. That's what Joey says, anyway."

Van Buren shook her head. "And yet Renee got involved? That… All right, see what you can get on anyone named Keith once you get a description of her from the other kids, if you can."

--

Nina sat beside Joey as she described the lady she had only seen once or twice. The sketch artist showed them the finished product that Joey approved of then set it on the desk to answer his cell phone.

Reluctantly, Joey returned to the social worker to take her back to the facility as Nina picked up the sketch. The woman didn't look much older than she did, Nina thought.

"Hey," she said as Ed Green walked passed with a new cup of coffee.

"Hey, yourself." He sat down at her desk gesturing to the paper. "Hope that helps your case?"

"I hope it helps us find Renee now," Nina admitted. "We started with a baby and are now adding a babysitter to this. I don't like it."

"Where's Joe?"

Nina set the paper down and began sorting the contents on her desk. "He got a call from Missing Persons. We're hoping it's about Renee. Luckily, Joey had a picture of her. The mother was something else."

"Not all of them are like that," Ed said as if aware of the inner demon Nina wrestled with.

"Just the ones we get to hunt down and arrest, eh?" She gave a quick smile and watched Ed pick up the sketch.

He narrowed his eyes, shook his head then said, "I'll be damned…It couldn't be."

"You know her?" Nina asked hopeful.

"It's a long shot and I'm probably wrong, but… There was a case a couple of years ago that involved a murdering mother. Well, actually this woman was dating the kid who was killed. Mother claimed it was 'for the greater good' because he was abusive. He started hitting on his pregnant girlfriend who got it in her head that the scum loved her even when he told her he wanted to kill them both."

"Some folks don't know what a 'normal' relationship is, Ed. Sad, but it's true. But, this woman-."

"This woman reminds me of Tina Keith," Ed said.

Nina beamed, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then said, "I owe you!"


	4. Canvassing

Chapter 4: Canvassing

Mike Logan gave his partner a look. "I thought you weren't seeing anyone," he said. "Or are you gambling on the fact that the Lieu isn't going to kill you for this inner-office-."

"Only gambling I'm looking forward to is at Lennie's place tonight." Ed glanced up. "As for what you saw, I didn't see that coming."

"Right," he said not buying it. "So, you make progress on _that_ case and so far with _our _case we have-."

"We have the last fare Mr. Dahashi picked up the night before he was killed." Green looked for something in his desk, found it, then pocketed it. "Shall we go pay the guy a visit?"

Mike looked at him. "Look, I know you're still sore about-."

"I don't want to talk about it," Ed said defensively. "Let's find the s.o.b. that did this so we can go on to the next case, all right?"

Logan shook his head. It was hard breaking it to the family, but at least there was another family member to take the kids in, so they weren't completely alone. Orphaned, sad to say and Mike thought that was what was bothering his partner, but not alone. "Fine, but I'll drive."

---

They pulled up to one Mr. Porter's residence. "I hope this doesn't turn out to be a bad news thing," Ed said.

"What, like we find a second missing person or worse, our murderer willing to confess?" Logan deadpanned.

Green shot him a look before knocking on the door. A svelte bespectacled man answered the door; the man's appearance striking Green as more of a mousy accountant than anything. "Mr. Porter?" he asked.

"Yes?"

Green winced internally as he took out his badge. Even the high-pitched voice reminded him of a mouse. "I'm Detective Green, this is Detective Logan. We were wondering if you'd mind answering a few questions for us."

The shorter man squinted. "What kinds of questions?"

"It's about a taxi ride you took a couple of nights ago," Logan said. "We were just wondering if-."

"Is the cabbie saying I didn't pay my fare? Are you going to ask me if I saw some… some hoodlums around who might have done it? Or are you going to demand fingerprints from me to see if they match to some sort of evidence you have? Or you think I killed him? Am I a suspect? Or-?"

Ed turned away, pretending to answer his cell phone, while in reality cringing – the shrill was unbelievable! For a moment, Ed thought the guy would start hyperventilating. He saw calmer behavior from junkies who were having an off day, for crying out loud.

Logan took over, holding a hand up. "Mr. Porter, relax. Please. We're merely retracing the victim's last steps and you happen to be a passenger he picked up."

Ed noted that the words 'last fare' were conveniently omitted.

After a moment, Mr. Porter said in a much calmer tone, "Oh. Well… In that case, come in. I think I can tell you what little I can."

---

"How did it go with Mr. Porter?" Van Buren asked as she watched Green walk past her and straight to the medicine box.

Logan laughed. "I don't know who was going to pop a blood vessel first, Porter or Ed." His partner shot him a look before dry-swallowing a couple of aspirin. Mike ignored him and continued, "Nothing unusual, Lieu. Porter was picked up from in front of the New York Library and taken straight home. He lives in a, and I quote, 'perfectly safe neighborhood that knows no violence.' End quote."

Van Buren raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure he knows where he lives or is he residing in the 'Twilight Zone?' So, this Porter fellow didn't seem threatening to you, or someone who could pose a danger to someone else?"

Green spoke up, "Not unless you call his voice a violent weapon, either by topic, pitch or tone."

Logan laughed again. "Ed didn't like the guy."

"So I gathered," Van Buren said giving him a second glance before returning to Logan. "Have you tried backtracking-?"

Logan nodded. "Went three fares back. None of them remembers seeing anything out of the ordinary. Two were regulars, the third was a couple from out of town. All of them said he was a nice guy. We're going to check the day's remaining fares for that day and maybe go back a few for good measure."

"Well, start looking into his family life, his finances, anything that might help us find out who could be an enemy," she turned and added, "Ed." After a quizzical look, Green obliged. To Logan, she said, "You and I need to have a chat, in my office. Now."

-----

"So, what happened in Van Buren's office?" Ed asked on their way to Lennie's. "Anything worth worrying about?"

Mike glanced at him as they waited at a red light. "You're not in trouble; don't worry. I'm the target for the day."

"Why?"

Mike ignored him, not in the mood to discuss this with Ed any more than he didn't want to go into it with Lennie. The last thing he needed was a 'bright billboard' announcing what he had hoped he could keep to himself a moment longer.

"All right, man," Ed said accepting the silence. "Is she coming to the game tonight?"

"Nah. Ric's got a basketball game tonight, so…" For that, Mike was thankful. Of course, there was no way for Lieu _not_ to know, but still…. On the plus side, as if that existed or an option to back away from this now, she'd be right there with him. Four possibilities when looked at that way. Four possibilities doubled his original, only-one-person-to-worry-about two.

"Did you get a hold of Stabler or Munch?" Ed asked. "I know Fin had to back out."

"Nope. Do know Lennie said to expect a couple of new players. Joe's bringing-."

"Nina, I know. Think that's great. She and Alex could stand to collect from Lennie."

"Not unless Danielle's there with Jack. If so, they'll be eliminated by the first round I'm sure."

-----

Lennie Briscoe invited the guys into an already full house. At the card table sat Fontana, Cassady, Danielle Melnick-McCoy, Nora Levin, and Alex Borgia. "You boys get the corner chairs," he said as he grabbed the food offerings from them.

Mike aimed for the seat between Nora and Joe only for Nora to say, "Other corner, kid. We elders get this corner half of the table. You kids get the other side."

"Oh," said Ed as he sat beside Nina, "it's a battle of the ages then, eh?"

"Partially," Alex said as she gave a nod to Mike. "It's also going to be a battle of the sexes. You guys are stuck in the middle."

Joe nodded. "See, it's not only up to us four to hold onto our retirement plans, but we have to keep the shopping money from you ladies."

"Keep talking like that, Joey Boy and you'll be lucky to walk out of here with your Italian silk shirt," Danielle said elbowing him sharply.

"Well at least I didn't leave a 'chickened-out' husband at home," he retorted.

Nora sighed. "For the last time, it's that funny thing called work, Joe. I paid my dues for open-faculty night; it's his turn."

"Wait a minute," Mike asked, helping himself to the new deck of cards, "who's married to the guy again?"

Lennie laughed as he finished refilling everybody's drinks. "Remember that talk about a body in the Bronx, Mike?"

"What body?" Alex asked before studying the hand dealt her.

Danielle shook her head. "Oh no you don't. Guys, we had a deal." She met Mike's level gaze, satisfied when he backed down and then shot an evil glance Lennie's way. "Seriously, Lennie…"

"Don't look at me," he said. "I only provide the cards; I don't stack them."

"Then maybe you can try your hand at dealing out some advice or theories," Joe said. "We've got a couple of doozies as far as cases go at the moment."

"So," Nora asked, raising Ed's bet, "who has the Dahashi case?"

Ed shook his head at the new bet before raising his hand. "We do. Not saying we're making much progress, either."

Alex looked at him. "Dahashi? As in Teri Dahashi-?"

Mike turned. "Yeah, Terrance Dahashi."

"No, I mean, as in Teri Dahashi's _father?_" Off the guys' look, Alex explained, "Teri Dahashi's a painter, mostly abstract, but…"

Nora nodded. "Her exhibit was going to be pulled from one of the hotel galleries because someone objected to her comments about another painter."

"Wait," Joe said doubling the bet on the table, "not that yahoo, Eyman!"

"One and the same," Nora said.

Lennie shook his head as he watched Alex, Mike, then Nina fold their cards. "Shameful thing is, the overall theme was freedom of speech and that young woman had the right thing to say – quoted Voltaire even."

"What did she say?" Ed asked.

"Her quote of his quote was, I believe, 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.' And folks had the nerve to get mad at her for it when it was the other idiot's work that should have been dismissed." Lennie locked eyes with Mike and said, "It's up to you to keep your partner in the game if your group wants to win."

Ed chuckled. "He can't keep me outta trouble, Lennie, what makes you think-?"

"Oh, he knows why."

Nora shook her head. "Lennie, you're about to get into trouble if you don't knock that off."

"I second that," Joe said, "and I don't know how deep you're in it. However, I think the women on either side of you can bury you as easily as they can Jack." He stole an apologetic glance Nora's way then added, "Mike, if you're going to do what I think it is you're going to do, then it's about time you do it."

Furiously, Mike rose from his chair, practically spilling over a few drinks in the process then stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The uncomfortable silence lasted some time before Joe said softly, "I'll…coach him on that, Len," he said before he went after the younger man.

Lennie nodded. "Well, he could have picked that up from Donnie, too. You guys excuse us?"

-------

"That was awkward," Alex said to Nina as they waited for Nora and Danielle in the lobby.

Nina agreed. "Van Buren called him into her office earlier today. I wonder how much of that…."

"I'm surprised he's not going for that rank. Isn't Anita going for her test later this-?"

"Yeah. I hope she gets it, too. If anyone deserves to be promoted, it's her." Nina paused. "Think you could do me a favor? What case was Tina Keith called to testify?"

Alex nodded. "It might take me a while to track down the information, but I'll see what I can get you."

Nina paused. "About this Teri Dahashi… Think you could see what you could get on her, too?"

"Yeah. But I thought Ed and Mike-."

"They do," Nina said, "but I owe Ed one, so…"

Alex smiled. "Yeah, I can add that to my search list. Give me a call around lunch time and I'll see what I've gathered for you by then."

When Nora and Danielle finally caught up with them, Nina made a smart-aleck remark. "You know, elevators aren't a crime to use for someone your-."

"Watch it, child," Danielle said. "Just because we have to depend on you for social security doesn't mean we won't bleed you dry for it." Looking from Nina to Alex she said, "So, which of you was foolish enough to drive _alone_ on a night like this?"

Nina raised her hand. "Have a problem with that, counselor?" she said with mock indignation.

"Nope. You've got a gun."

Nora chuckled. "I'm glad I made it here tonight, even if it wasn't a _typical_ game."

"Poor Jack," Alex said. "Then again, maybe he's the smart one. He could have walked into 'Why aren't you the DA lecture' part two."

"I'll let you tell him that this Sunday," Danielle said. "You're invited to dinner and Nora and I won't take 'no' for an answer. No arguments. I count as an elder and if I were your mother you wouldn't say 'no.' Someone has to look out for you kids, after all."

Alex laughed and Nina made a face. "Oh, get in," Nora said. "It will be midnight by the time we get home and I'm not going to let Jack call me a 'raccoon' when I get to the office."

"How does he like the new job?" Nina asked.

"Why don't you two come by to harass him and find out? You know you're welcomed any time."

Danielle gave her a look. "Nora…."

"Relax, Dani; we've had this chat, remember?"


	5. Dealing

Chapter 5: Dealing

Nina Cassady barely finished half of her bagel before Joe tapped her on the shoulder. "Come on; we've got good news! I hope."

Reluctantly, she wrapped up the remains, ready to put them in her pocket. "You hope? If you don't know for sure, then how can you be sure-?"

"Renee Maguire! Someone fitting her description was found by the 64th," Fontana said holding her coat open for her.

"Alive?"

"That's the hope!" He took her by the elbow. "Let's go! I'll drive."

----

"I hope you know what you're looking for," Ron Carver said when he found Alex Borgia in the conference room looking up old files. "We do have cases in the here and now that can use your attention."

"This might have something to do with such a case," Alex said as she jotted down some notes. "I don't know how this ties in with that Baby Jane Doe case, but..."

Carver sighed. "When we get the people responsible we are not, I repeat, not making a deal with them, got it?"

"Loud and clear, sir." She frowned. "Do you think it's better to ask McCoy or Southerlyn about this Ashburn case?"

Carver looked over her shoulder. "Jack's easier for you to find, so… Unless you want to hang around the courthouse and try to catch Serena between cases."

"Permission to take an extended lunch, then?"

Ron looked at the young woman who followed Rubirosa's lead too well in some things – like doing her own thing when she was certain it was the right thing to do. "Fine. Just make sure Connie has what she needs from you. Keep your cell phone on, too, just in case, please." He couldn't fault this team. Their conviction rate rose significantly in recent months and as much as Carver didn't care for it, Connie could get the deals made at the higher end of the sentencing scale.

No, he decided, the Rubirosa-Borgia team was a good one and he hoped to work with them for quite a while.

----

When they walked into the 6-4 precinct, the young woman in the side room bore a faint resemblance to that in the photo Joey and Michael gave up reluctantly. The young woman's clothes were shredded under the blanket wrapped around her now. Her face was caked with more dirt than Joey's had been during their initial meeting, and scratches, bruises and scraps covered what parts of her body that were visible.

Cassady reached her first. "Renee Maguire?"

The young woman nodded, a cup of cold coffee in hand. "You found her, yes? You found the baby?"

"Yes," Cassady said. "Right now, though-."

"I had to do it," the woman continued. "To keep the baby away from that so-called father. He was going to _sell_ her for drugs!"

Fontana sat on the bench beside her. "Who was going to sell her? Can you tell us the baby's name?"

Renee had a distant look in her face, distracted by something else. "You saved Keith, yes?"

Nina shook her head. "We're still trying to find Miss Keith."

Renee gave her a puzzled look. "If you have Kylie, you have Keith, right?" Renee shook her head. "I shouldn't have left Keith alone, but he was pulled out of my hand and there was no way that Kylie…" The young woman broke down sobbing.

Nina watched as Joe pulled her towards him. It was a while before Renee could regain her composure, but when she did…

"Damn idiot! Of course you wouldn't…." She got up, looked around for any possessions then turned her attention to both officers. "I need you to take me to Tina's, now. I mean, I know where she's probably…. I think… I mean…" Renee didn't finish as her eyes took on a determined look.

"Don't you want to know about Joey and the others?" Nina asked.

Renee looked at her, the determination still there. "I know you had to have found them and that you had to have taken them out of that hell-hole. You had to." After a moment, she added, "You better have." Renee walked to the door. "Want to help me save Keith and Kylie or not?"

Fontana slammed the door Renee had opened ajar. "Listen," he said leaning close, "Kylie, the baby girl you left in a blanket bag, the one you placed under a bush, in the middle of a cold night - she's dead. She died-."

"No she didn't!" Renee yelled. "She isn't dead! She-!" However, a realization dawned on her as she collapsed. Joe caught her before she hit the floor.

"Joe?" Nina asked kneeling beside the teenager.

"You were talking to Alex. See if she has a name of any of Tina's so-called friends. And see if she has a kid named Keith."

--

Nina stepped out into the hall where one of the other officers approached her. "Just to let you know," the officer said, "the young woman refused a rape kit. Demanded to be taken to a park, something about a baby…"

Nina would have slugged him if it did any good. It would have made her feel better, but Lieu would probably hate her for generating unnecessary paperwork. Before she could give this guy a verbal lashing, Joe opened the door, arm wrapped around Renee's shoulder, Joe's jacket now covering her.

"She's coming with us," Joe said matter-of-factly. "In the meantime, could you guys fax whatever information you can from your CSU reports? Thanks."

Nina followed behind them, noting the great care Joe took with this girl. Ordinarily, logic would have found Renee in an interrogation room demanding answers to the where's and why's of the baby's death. But, it was as if she and Joe had the same hunch, that this girl couldn't have done it.

If that was the case, then things just got worse, Nina thought. She put a call in to Alex's office only to get her voice mail. "Joe-."

He shook his head briefly as he helped Renee into the car. "Detective Cassady's going to drive to where we found Kylie," he said. "From there, we'll need your help, all right? When we're finished, there are four siblings who will want to see you."

Fontana handed her his phone after dialing the number. "Why don't you talk to them in the meantime; let them know you're all right."

Nina got into the driver's seat and drove to the park. The crime scene tape was where it was, some of it tangled in the branches. Joe held Renee's hand as they took slow steps to the site.

Renee knelt down, a hand to her mouth as the other reached out for where she had left the bundle. "He would have caught up with me, to get Kylie. He didn't realize I left her here, behind, away from him until he caught up with me in the…." Renee's hand trembled. "I had meant to come back for her, to go back for Keith. I meant to…"

"You meant to what?" Nina asked kneeling down beside her. "What did you mean to do?"

Renee was silent a moment. "I meant to deal with this my way - once and for all."

Nina didn't know what to make of that. By the look on his face, it seemed Joe didn't either. "Think you could help us retrace your steps _back_?" Nina asked. As much as she wanted to go forward, retracing seemed a better thing to deal with right now.

Renee nodded. On foot, she and Nina walked towards some run-down apartments several blocks away; Joe followed in the car.

------

Alex Borgia tentatively knocked on the office door that was ajar. She relaxed when she heard an all-too familiar voice call out, "Come in."

She smiled as she took the few steps in to the small space – not much larger than her own office, she thought. How two desks fit in here was beyond her. "Hi, Jack."

He beamed. "Alex!" Jack McCoy rose to walk to her; embraced her then held her away at arm's length. "You're a sight for sore eyes." He gestured for her to have a seat. "It seems you and I have been going to different poker game nights. How have you been doing?"

"All right," she said, setting her bag aside after removing a few files. "I came to pick your brain about something."

He narrowed his eyes. "If this is Ron's idea of-."

"Oh, no! He approved of my bugging you….about an old case that you and Serena had." She selected the paper she wanted to focus on. "What do you know about Tina Keith, Jack?"

He nodded, appreciating her getting to the point, as he leaned back in his chair, reflecting. "Tina Keith," he repeated. "Tina Keith…. Damn. I know we joked about how her name would come up again, but we thought we had at least fifteen years before it did."

"What happened?"

Jack relayed the old case involving Danny Ashburn, murdered by his mother, Allison. "Sad thing was," he said, "Serena made it a point to go check up on her, Tina I mean; get her to counseling and see what the best decision was, for her and the unborn baby. Serena would have continued looking out for Tina and her son…. But…" He paused. "It's not my place to say whether or not Tina should have given life to her little boy. I know it was her responsibility to take care of him, like a parent should."

"Oh," Alex said. "Then I guess I was wrong about the Baby Jane Doe deal," she said.

Jack furrowed his brow. "I seem to recall Serena telling me that Tina mentioned she had a new boyfriend – homeless like Danny. That might have resulted in…Have you checked birth certificate records under her last name?"

"Not yet."

He nodded. "Keith. That was the name she gave the boy. Keith Ashburn. He'd be about…five or six now, I'd think." Jack looked her in the eye. "That's not the only reason why you came by, though."

Alex looked down at hands stalling for time. "Guilty," she said sheepishly. "I know I should be able to find this information on my own, but…. I'd rather ask you about them, seeing as how you've dealt with Ms. Keith and all."

Jack smiled. "So, looking at solving the cases before prosecuting them now, are you? Should I start calling you Perry Mason, then? Well, Allison Ashburn got out on probation last year, if I read that correctly. Sad, too, given how and why she killed her son. Lies are seldom a useful thing, Alex, especially in a marriage. In the end, I feel for John Ashburn and their children. I mean, what do you say to a parent who is now on their own to raise a family?"

Alex had a questioning look on her face. "I guess I'm a stranger to that. My parents just celebrated another anniversary a couple of months ago."

"It's not always by divorce, Alex," he said. "Look at that taxi driver, Terrance Dahashi. His wife died before they were to leave the country. I don't remember if he was able to stay long enough for the funeral or if he grabbed the kids that night and fled. His eldest daughter was already established as a citizen and was set-."

"Wait, I thought they had a falling out. Her press releases said-."

"Oh, they had a falling out," he said sagely, "but she wanted to _keep_ the relationship going, out in the open. Her father said 'no' because he thought that would restrict her work somehow, like it did her mother's."

"Was that why she was killed, Jack?"

He shook his head. "No, most reports said it had to do with his political associations, like many of the other workers back there. Really, it was a matter of the wrong place at the wrong time. He did right by his kids, though, that's for sure."

"Do you think Teri will take her younger siblings in?"

Jack shrugged. "That depends on how the will was drawn up and how strong of a case she has should someone else get custody."

Alex's cell phone rang. "Excuse me," she said before answering it. At conversation's end, she asked, "How likely is it for Tina Keith to hide out at her mother's?"

"Karla would just as soon kill her daughter just as easily as Allison killed her son. Why?"

------

Cassady hung up the phone. "They say it's unlikely," she told Fontana.

"Well, so far this whole thing's bloody unlikely. Did you get an address?"

She nodded. It didn't make the pain go away or dissipate the anger she felt or put Renee at ease. If anything, the poor girl's guilt doubled.

Buried in the corner under a pile of garbage was the body of a five-year-old child – that of Keith Ashburn.


	6. Detours

Chapter 6: Detours

"Hey," Green said when he caught up with his partner. "About the other night-."

"No," Logan said. "Don't even try it. _I_ overreacted. End of discussion."

Green looked at him. "What discussion, man? I'm sorry, but…if I'm the one who's supposed to apologize for something here, there it is. 'I'm sorry.' For what, damned if I know. But, it seems that some folks know more about what's going on with you than I do and as your partner, that-."

"Look, I said we're not talking about, meaning we're not talking about it. Got it? Now are you going with me to talk to Dahashi's co-workers or what?"

Green shook his head as he said, "Yeah, man. But it's my turn to drive."

---

Logan rubbed his eyes as he fought off the fatigue. He hadn't expected the earlier 'chat' to last as long as it did; hoping the older men would say their piece then leave Mike in peace. No such luck as the ''wise-guy, wise-ass' lecture went on over and over in his mind.

Mike knew what he had to do; didn't need to have Lennie or Joe tell him that. To have it so close to the surface exposed Mike's fear that perhaps he was reaching for more than he should have. Shaking off the frustration, he sought out Terrance Dahashi's supervisor.

"Mr. De Palma? Might I have a moment of your time?"

The tall balding man motioned him to an office. Logan caught Green's eye then followed, finding a seat as De Palma closed the door. "It's crap what happened to Terry, you know. You guys any closer to finding the jerks who did this?"

"We're still gathering information," Logan said. "So far, there was nothing unusual about the final few fares he had that night. Mrs. Webster told us about his morning 'check-ins?' Was that something you knew about or…."

De Palma nodded. "Lois Webster's a regular in our book. Remember that scumbag who was stalking bartenders in the borough? Lois was one of them. Terry took it upon himself to check in on her the mornings after because that's the kind of guy he is….was, I mean."

De Palma glanced back at a violin on top of a file cabinet in the corner. "He applied for a night manager position someplace close to home and was supposed to interview the morning… Terry was determined to give his kids everything he and his wife had wanted. Their eldest did quite well. Takes after her father, Teri does."

He rummaged through some papers on his desk; resettled a fallen framed photo of a young man; found a business card and handed it to Mike. "The Contemporary Arts Center," he said. "I thought he was finally getting back to his true talent." Off of Mike's look, De Palma said, "He was a musician by night," he said while pointing at the violin. "His first wife was a renowned artist. That's where the daughter learned her talent. Came here on a college scholarship, I want to say about seven years ago.

"How do you think Dahashi would have paid for the tuition if the scholarship wasn't available?" Logan asked jotting the information down.

De Palma shrugged. "If it wasn't for that visa nonsense, he'd have made a heckuva doctor - pediatrician, actually. Music was his love, medicine his calling. What do I get…or got, I mean? I've the loss of a great guy who would have given you the shirt off his back; all you had to do was ask."

Logan thought about that a moment. "Do you know if he applied for any medical jobs here, before coming to you?"

De Palma shook his head. "The visa thing screwed him up. I mean, he literally came here the moment he arrived because he needed to provide for his children."

"Then how did Mrs. Webster get the fortunate role of surrogate mother?"

Instead of answering, De Palma got up and held the door open for Logan. "No one here would have wanted him dead, Detective. We're a hodgepodge kind of family, all brought here by some wrong turn or detour in our original plans. Find the killer out there and get him off the streets before he goes after someone else."

----

"How'd you do?" Logan asked his partner as they headed back to the precinct.

Green shook his head. "Not a bad word said about the guy. Never raised his voice, never showed up late, never borrowed money from anyone… Reiger, one of the other cabbies, said that Dahashi was even the ideal neighbor. This isn't making things easier," Green said. "If this turns out to be a random killing-."

"Not if there were nine stab wounds, partner. Remember what Rodgers said? To stab that many times makes it personal." Logan mulled something over as they waited at a red light. "I want to go back to the crime scene."

"Why? I doubt there's anything-."

"Humor me, all right? Something doesn't… I want to check something out."

Green obliged, not certain why. "I still can't get over the family."

"Oh?" Logan said turning to face him. "Why's that, you think?"

Green shook his head again. "What, are you practicing to be Olivet or Skoda, now? I don't know, man. If the daughter was here before the rest of the family arrived… There's just quite a bit of an age difference between her and the other kids."

"De Palma mentioned something about a first wife," Logan suggested. "Maybe if she's alive…"

"Just what I love doing –sifting through paperwork," Green quipped.

As they approached the scene, Logan had him park a few blocks up. Green turned off the engine and both men watched the goings on down the street.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Ed asked, copying over some of Mike's notes into his notebook.

"I'll let you know when we see it."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Oh, _that's_ so helpful."

Almost half an hour later, someone emerged from Mrs. Webster's house. They kept an eye on the young man as he crossed the street to walk to a nearby bus stop. The peculiar way the man had carried his arm didn't go unnoticed by either officer.

"Who's that?" Ed asked, a series of absurd questions running through his mind.

"That's what I'm wondering," Mike said in that-all-too-familiar tone Ed knew meant mischief and trouble later on.

"Hey, man, if Lieu were here, you wouldn't even think of doing whatever you're thinking of doing."

"Oh _that's_ so helpful," Mike said mimicking Ed's earlier tone. "It's that whole parent-child assignment thing that gets me, that's all."

Ed gave him a look. "What? You think that guy's related to…Mrs. Webster or someone we haven't found yet?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I just know that I've seen a photo of that guy somewhere and it wasn't in Dahashi's wallet." Mike paused. "If Dahashi were one of your best cabbies and you learned he was applying for a job elsewhere, how'd you react?"

Ed's eyes narrowed. "None of the other guys made mention of Dahashi looking for another job, except Reiger. I'm sure that as his landlord, Reiger would know something like that."

"What if Dahashi didn't want someone to know about it, though?"

"Paperwork requires more paperwork, Mike – you know, apply for a job, list references?"

Mike snapped his fingers. "That's it! Let's go back to the precinct. Now."

"All right," Green said trying to stifle a chuckle. "Hope this detour was worth something, because I'm still confused."

Smiling, Mike said, "It's what you said before – paperwork."

----

Nina Cassady dropped an envelope on Ed's desk shortly after they got back to the precinct.

"What?" Mike said in a mock-hurting tone, "I don't get anything?"

"Only if Ed knows how to share," Nina said with a smile. With that, she went back to her desk to review information with her partner.

"I still think you two are-." Mike said.

"Don't go there, man. I won't bug you about what the lieu is bugging you about and you don't bug me about my so-called personal life."

Mike chuckled. "Deal."

A plain-wrapped box was dropped onto Mike's desk. "Ask and ye shall receive," he said. Smiling; Mike opened the box. Just as quickly, he frowned.

"A calendar? About time," Ed said then returned to read the information Nina provided.

Mike looked up as Van Buren closed the door to her office. "It's about time," he said as he fingered the piece of masking tape that had something scrawled on it: 'Le (T) Countdown.' He was anything but amused.

He looked up as Joe was walking past. "Hey, you said earlier that you had to go over to Children's Services, right?" The Italian nodded. "Mind if I go with you? We let the younger guys to the 'hard' work?"

"You're on," Joe said in an uncommitted tone

---

"So, the kids in your case are troubling you, too, eh?" Joe said.

"You could say that," Mike answered.

"I did." He turned to Mike and said, "If you tried that at the poker table, even Nora could clean you out. Want to come clean on what's ticking you off right now?"

Mike sighed. So many choices, so many outcomes, he thought. "Trying to narrow down suspects in Dahashi's murder for starters. At least we can eliminate it being a customer. The whole day's fares were conflict-free."

"And you're sure he didn't even have a 'first fare' the morning he was killed?"

"That's just it, Joe. As much as I like Mrs. Webster, something seems…off somehow. I want to know if she had any kids and if so, what happened to said baby boy."

Joe shook his head. "You could have just as easily called to look up the records for that."

"Yeah, I suppose so. But, part of me wants to check in on the cabby's other kids, you know? I need to know they're being looked after."

This time, Joe let out a low whistle. "You're asking for a higher calling now, Mike. I don't remember a Saint Michael as the patron of children."

"Hey, I want to make certain they're all right, rather than learn later on that they'll end up like-." Mike stopped himself, regretting taking his frustration over another situation out on Joe. "I'm sorry, man."

"No offense," Joe said nonplussed. "As much as I'm glad the Maguire kids are elsewhere, I feel for Renee. Poor girl trying to look out for two families at once and making them one… I wouldn't be surprised if her definition of dealing with the problem was to round the whole gang up and going someplace else entirely."

"What? No other family for her?"

Joe shook his head. "Same went for the Keith and Ashburn kids. No sign of dear old mom, either. But, from what Nina got, there's a good chance the mom's dead in a ditch somewhere. So, one little family gone for good, another one trying to hold on."

Mike pondered Joe's comments, wondering what family entanglements he wasn't seeing just yet himself. If he wasn't careful, Mike thought, he could be looking in the wrong direction completely.


	7. Ending

Chapter 7: Ending

"This is getting us nowhere," Nina said as she went over the notes again with Alex Borgia. When Nina called her friend to complain, she in turn had called someone else. So now, they found themselves going over everything they had in Nora Levin's office.

"Take a few steps back and tell me again what you started with," Nora said.

Nina closed her eyes. "A baby bundled in a blanket under a bush," she said. "The babysitter left her there in an effort to spare the baby's life from a dangerous father."

"Then what?" Nora asked.

"Then we found and removed a household of children from a neglectful parent." Nina sighed. "Upon retracing the babysitter's steps, we found another dead child. No sign of that neglectful mother."

"Or possible drug-dealing father," Alex added. "One possible conclusion is that the parents have fled."

Nora nodded towards the open door before replying. "Could have. Then again, is it possible that the people who forced the babysitter to flea could have killed the parents?"

McCoy sat down at his desk almost unnoticed by the two visitors. When he spoke up, Alex jumped out of her chair. "Didn't we have this talk about how you're not Perry Mason?"

Nina chuckled before composing herself. "We're just trying to get a woman's perspective on this case."

"Ah," Jack said sagely. "And Van Buren didn't qualify because…"

"She's taking the exam today," Nina said smiling.

"Anita will pass; I know it," Nora said. "Jack, if you took note, these young ladies-."

"I'm aware of what they chose to admit," Jack said. "If it stays that way, I might finish this day headache free."

Alex gave him a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Nina saw it immediately. "So," she said turning her full attention to the other professor, "as one who has dealt with murdering mothers, as a parent, what do you think Tina and her boyfriend would have done by now?"

Jack gave her a look that was neither scornful nor bitter. "If Tina Keith's habits haven't changed, and I doubt they have, then she's probably in a ditch somewhere." He glanced at Alex. "Her mother had nothing to add, I suppose?"

She shook her head. "Said just what you said, but with more slurring."

"Ouch," Nora said from her side of the room. "Nina, do you and Joe have all the evidence you need to arrest either Miss Keith or the father?"

Nina sighed. "Most of it's circumstantial. Renee's strong and we've a fairly thick collection of calls to Children's Services about how they cared – well didn't care – for their two children."

Nora turned to Alex. "Are you and Connie prepared to go through with the case? Putting parenting on trial, I mean?"

Alex looked from Jack to Nora, to Nina then back to Nora. "You mean to put a murderer on trial? Yes."

Nora nodded again. "Good. So what are you guys waiting for? Besides asking Jack there to interpret something in the file you brought?"

Nina took over. "We went over all of Keith and Ashburn's known associates and can't come up with a plausible suspect. I mean, we've narrowed down the circle of possibilities, but no one definitely." She slid the folder towards Jack. "Do you see an angle we should try?"

Jack perused the file. "I'd suggest you and Joe canvass the area where she probably made most of her drug buys. Find the buyer and you've probably found your suspect. Check with one of the other officers in that borough, someone who knows the homeless and see if you can find the father that way." He paused. "How did the fingerprint checks turn out?"

Nina shook her head. "There were so many in there, you'd have thought it was one of those hotel rooms you'd rent by the hour."

Nora and Jack exchanged looks. "Well," Jack said sliding the folder back, "start with the ones that have the longer rap sheets; go to the ones known for assault and…It very well could be one of the many in that crowd."

"What were you telling me about 'Perry Mason?'" Alex said.

"You two Nancy Drews came by here to ask Nora for help. I got dragged into it."

Nina shook her head. "I won't tell you how lame that just sounded, Jack," she said. Pausing, she added, "On second thought, I will – that was too much like my father."

"Glad for the flashback on your part," he said dryly. "In the meantime, I'm sure Joe will give you the riot act soon enough." He furrowed his brow and took the folder back. "Riots. Riots…" he scanned the list of priors for Tina Keith and found a name worth tapping. "Check out that tenement there," he said pointing out an address. "I forgot about that 'little' disturbance. She might be hiding out there."

Nina looked at the information. "It doesn't connect to anything-."

"And because of that illogical fit," Nora said behind her, "it might be worth checking out."

--------

Joe Fontana shook his head for the umpteenth time. "You didn't discuss this with me because?"

"Because you were busy with Mike," Cassady said. "If I stepped out of bounds, then-."

"No, not exactly." He chuckled. "The fact that you chose to discuss this with an ethics professor; that's something I should needle Nora about. Next game, perhaps."

"Tomorrow night, right?" Nina said, her voice slightly relieved, he noticed.

"Yeah. After the heart-to-heart with Mikey, it shouldn't be as dramatic this time around."

Nina turned to face her partner. "Where is he, by the way? I noticed Ed's working with-."

"This is in confidence," he said in a low tone. "Mike's testing."

Nina's face broke into a big grin, as did Fontana's. "I heard it said that it's about time."

"You're telling me," Joe said. "Of course, if he passes or fails, it isn't exactly the end of the world." He paused before adding, "So long as he doesn't punch another official."

They arrived at the address in question; Fontana putting the car in park. "If you're right about this," he said, "then this will help wrap up two murders."

"And a kidnapping," Cassady added. "Not to mention intimidation."

Fontana sighed as they climbed out of the car. "Yep. Sounds like a decent enough list of charges. Let's go get our guy," he said, leading the way, gun drawn.

------

The interrogation didn't go quite in the direction Cassady thought it would. Fontana, bless his soul, took on the part of good cop because there was no way she could trust herself to keep her anger contained.

The fact that Tina Keith had confessed to the death of her son, her reminder of another love now lost, made no sense to Nina. The calm, cockiness that Tina's voice conveyed as she justified her right to keep her babies away from a 'higher-than-holier-than-thou' babysitter was her choice, her right and her means of saving herself and her boyfriend.

"So why let your boyfriend go after the Renee Maguire and let him assault her the way he did?!" Cassady said, hands pressed firmly against the table's edge. "Why did you-?"

"She had to learn a lesson," Tina said, as if none of that mattered. "Look, if there's a victim here, it's me. My babies are dead."

"Probably because you killed them!" Cassady said, curling her fingers now.

Fontana pulled her back. "Get a cup of coffee, Nina." To Tina Keith, he said, "You take it plain or care for cream and sugar?"

"Two creams, one sugar," she said.

Fontana gave Cassady a look, one that Keith probably took as a victory sign; one that Nina took as a bit of gratitude.

After delivering the coffee, Cassady watched the rest of the interrogation through the one-way glass, amazed still by Fontana's smoothness.

"Look," he said, taking a hand in his, "I can imagine how hard it was to try and juggle so many jobs to try and care for a couple of kids. And I can also imagine what it must have been like to see Miss Maguire try to take your place as mother."

Tina wiped away tears from her face. "Kylie was supposed to save our relationship," she said at last. "It didn't. Her daddy got himself into more trouble. When I suggested we sell her to settle his debts…"

Cassady saw Fontana's eye twitch. "What happened next?" he asked.

"That damn girl grabbed my baby and ran. She would have gotten my Keith, too, but I showed her." Tina nodded, satisfied. "Holler as she might, no one was going to piss me off by grabbing my baby boy." She sneered. "No one gets between a caring mother and her babies."

Cassady felt her fingernails dig into her skin as Fontana continued in a soothing voice. "So, you saved your son by killing him."

"He's with his father now."

"And why aren't you there in hell with him?" Cassady asked herself.

"But," Joe said, "what about Kylie? What did you do to help her?"

At that, Tina Keith turned away and began biting her nails.


	8. Enclaves

Chapter 8: Enclaves

Ed Green poured over the piles of papers in search of a former spouse. What he found, instead, was another lost mother. The paper trail of the first Mrs. Dahashi vanished shortly after the youngest daughter was born. Nothing in the paperwork available from India gave an indication of death, divorce or anything else questionable.

Then again, thinking back to the time he had lived in India with his parents, among other countries, disappearances would go unnoticed, unreported, and more often than not, unchallenged. If that was the case for Mrs. Dahashi, then perhaps…

He went over one page in particular one that Nina had slipped him earlier that mentioned the possibility of Mrs. Dahashi being the victim of a random attack after all. If so, what was it that she did that put her in harm's way?

Everything he had read offered the existence of only one Mrs. Dahashi. There was only one way to get an answer to this question and it wasn't what Ed wanted to do today.

He knew he should fill the temporary partner of the day in, but found a way to send him Joe's way. The junior partner was sure he'd pay for it somehow, but right now, he was grateful to be on his own. Grabbing his coat, he set out for Teri Dahashi's place.

-----

The woman was perhaps in her early twenties. She was confident, intelligent and cautious. Why Ed picked those three words to describe her, he didn't know. He accepted her invitation to enter, surprised at the toy-strewed status of the living room.

"I know, I know," Teri said with a light chuckle. "They should learn to remember their upbringing. But…" She cleared off the couch and motioned for him to have a seat. "What can I do for you, Detective Green?"

It was a question he wanted to ask her, this young woman whose life was turned upside-down with the loss of a parent one day and becoming a surrogate one the next. "I apologize if this seems…odd or cold, but….what can you tell me about your mother?"

Teri knitted her brow. "Mom? Well, she died after Nari was born. An overzealous terrorist group chose to take it out on her what they were angry with my father about. Never mind you won't find official reports bear those details. I saw her get murdered." Looking Ed in the eye, she said, "Yes, Detective, I know I was already here in the states, but that particular footage that made the world news on all of the networks? I knew it was my mother."

"I'm sorry," he said.

She shook her head. "Why? It wasn't as if you could do anything from here at the time. Neither could I."

It made him realize how thankful he was that his parents were never the focal point of someone's ire. It also impressed him of Miss Teri's take on life. "We're just trying to determine if perhaps the folks who targeted your mother might have come here to finish the job with your father," he said.

"Knowing Dad's luck, I'd say it was someone at work who didn't like the fact that my father had impeccable work ethic."

That brought something to mind for Ed. "Someone at his work got the idea that he was applying for another job. Do you know if that's true?"

Teri frowned. "He told me he was going to look at the position opened at the place where I worked, but only because it would allow more time together as family. The only person he told was me, as far as I know. He would have told Reiger the day he died…." She shook her head. "Reiger loved Dad like a brother."

"And what about Mrs. Webster? We heard she was sort of a surrogate mother to him."

Teri chuckled. "She was one of the first people he met when he began as a cabbie. Her son was in need of medical attention and it was something Dad was able to handle right then and there. Took mother and child to the hospital and waited for them afterwards without charging them the fare."

Ed found that interesting. "How did his boss feel about that?'

"I don't think Dad said a word about it – paid for it out of his own pocket."

"And the son he saved?"

Teri smiled. "Doctors at the hospital said if it wasn't for Dad's quick response, the boy would be dead. That's one of the reasons why Mrs. Webster 'adopted' Dad – even if it was more like the other way around."

"You make it sound as if that's the normal thing to do," Ed said, "taking in others as family."

She gave him a look of pity mixed with sadness. "Because it is," she said.

--------

Van Buren called Ed into her office the moment he arrived the next morning. "Want to explain the 'dump, ditch and dash' deal to me, Ed?"

"Lieu, I didn't want to bore the guy. Besides, the interview was-."

"Was probably useless in practical information, right? Ed, the next time I have to separate you and Mike for any reason, could I _possibly_ count on you to 'play well' with others?"

Ed hung his head. "Yeah, lieu," he said. "If it helps, we might have narrowed down the list of suspects."

She watched him, aware that he automatically said 'we' regarding what 'he' had done. "Who do you think did it?"

"I hadn't had a chance to compare notes with Mike, yet, Lieu."

Van Buren gave him a thin smile. "Then you better do that. In the meantime, no more ditching the new guy, huh? That kind of thing develops a complex."

"Yes, ma'am," he said relieved then ducked out.

She and Logan exchanged knowing looks about an unspoken topic. It would only be a matter of time before he'd approach her about it.

---

"You're wrong about another Mrs. Dahashi," Ed said. "And you're right about a connection between the Websters and Terry."

"You have any idea on who did it?" Mike asked. "I mean, this is going to be the tie breaker here."

Ed nodded. "If it helps, we were both wrong and it's gonna hurt if it turns out that the obvious is the right one."

"But, it wasn't obvious," Mike said. "Not really. I mean…." He thought about it, replaying the entire conversation with De Palma. Muttering a curse, he said, "Do you want to check luds or bank records on him?"

"Your choice, man," Ed said as the realization dawned on him, too. "It's all numbers to me either way."

"I'll take the money, then," Mike said.

--------

Ed noticed the pattern almost immediately. Had he been thinking, he would have asked Teri about any unusual calls to her father. Maybe Reiger could offer some answers, he thought. The last thing he wanted to do was go to the children. But, if he had to…he had to.

Green recognized one of the numbers as one for an OTB. Half a dozen calls made there in a week's time. The other…. He picked up the phone and dialed. "Sorry, wrong number," he said then hung up. Dang, he thought…This was beginning to look like a Cain and Abel deal.

--

Mike found the same high figure amount deposited in regular intervals. Too large for paychecks, too obvious to be loan shark borrowings, Logan didn't like the look of it; not one bit. The cab company was in the red, but since De Palma was in charge of the books there, too, it was unlikely that the cabbies had caught on, unless someone was keeping their own tabs.

De Palma's other paper trails turned up something Mike hadn't really looked for the first time he went with Fontana… "Son of a…" Mike muttered. De Palma was better at deceit than he or Green gave him credit for.

---------

Their suspicions confirmed with evidence on paper for motive, Logan and Green drove out to the Webster residence. Mrs. Webster graciously let them in; her expression turning to grief once her son shared what he had seen.

When pressed on why the younger man didn't come forward sooner, he mentioned the threat he had received from De Palma. The four of them en route to the precinct to take a former statement, Van Buren dropped something off that had come in through her daily reports.

A short while later, Logan and Green went to De Palma's place of business and arrested him for the murder of Terrance Dahashi.

-----------

The mood wasn't quite as lively as before at Lennie Briscoe's place, but it wasn't as depressing or volatile, either. Eight places were occupied, even if not by the same players as last game. Some 'trade-outs' would make for an interesting challenge, that much he knew.

"So, Danielle trusts you tonight?" he asked Jack who sat across from him.

The other man smiled. "There's this bet we made – her part being frustration, mine being folly."

"And the loser…?"

"Gets to wear the equivalent of the scarlet letter," Jack said.

Anita exchanged glances with Nina Cassady. "What did you do to scare Nora off, Lennie?"

"My fault," Jack said. "I forgot to mention she got sucked into a family matter involving a niece and brother argument."

"Glad I don't have kids then," Joe said as he sat on Jack's right. "Of course, 'Uncle Joey' gets called in for a rescue once in a while."

Mike laughed. "Yeah, but does 'Uncle Joey' tell the sibs what the call was about?"

Lennie elbowed his former partner on his left. "Just you wait, Mikey; your turn will come."

The other single, former partner spoke up. "If Logan has kids, run," Ed deadpanned.

Anita looked at Ed with a scorn only a mother could perfect. "Remember that time off you were asking about?"

The man across from her let out a hardy laugh. "Man, Ed, you should know better than to tick off your boss at the poker table."

"Shut up, Elliot," Ed said. "At least I didn't ditch my partner!" The moment he said it, he felt Anita elbow him in the ribs. "You know what I mean," he clarified, rubbing his sore side.

Lennie shook his head and laughed as he shuffled the cards. If anything, he had every intention of setting the stakes as high as he could tonight. And if all went well, it would be his turn to clean up something other than the house at evening's end.

The topics discussed went from cases to classics to chaos theory, with a few rounds ending rather quickly. The next hand would prove to be the highlight of the evening.

"Bet's fifty."

"See your fifty and I raise you ten," Mike said.

Jack, Nina, Ed, Anita, Joe, and Elliot all pitched in their share. Lennie added his ten. "There's the bet and I raise you...kids."

Mike scowled. "Fold."

Elliot grinned. "Four."

Joe folded.

Jack grinned as he said he was in. Nina and Ed folded, as Anita put in her share. Now, it was down to the four parents.

Lennie looked Elliot in the eye and said, "Grown daughters."

Elliot looked at her and shook his head. "Fold."

"Distant daughter," said Jack.

"Boys," Anita said. For effect of a 'raise,' she added, "dating."

Lennie refused to back down. "Didn't I say I doubled your daughters?" he said to Jack.

"Distance," Jack reminded him. "Soon to be married, distance."

Anita laughed. "Fold."

Ed laughed. "Man, when you guys get down and dirty, betting what half the table can't own up to..."

Mike shook his head. "This is discrimination, I tell you. Munch would agree with me, too if he was here."

"Distant, soon to be married and going into law...as a cop," Jack said.

"Defiant, daring. Affair, affair. Nurse, telemarketer," Lennie said, aware that he was getting away with involving Cathy in on this wager.

Jack let out a low whistle. "Based on the last pair, I fold."

Lennie smiled as he scooped the chips his way. Yep, this was going to be a good night. Of course, he was fully aware that his luck would run out eventually. The true champs of the chips weren't called 'Fast Eddie' or 'Cool Joey' for nothing.


	9. Lamentations

Chapter 9: Lamentations

Alex Borgia reviewed the papers before her as Tina Keith was brought in. If this woman had any decency, Alex thought, this former mother would plead her case out. Then again, part of her wanted the client to want a trial, to let the jury decide the defendant's fate.

"My client pleads 'not guilty' your Honor."

So much for Plan A, Alex thought at the sound of that all-too familiar voice.

Danielle Melnick-McCoy glanced Borgia's way. "In regards to bail, your Honor," the attorney continued, "may I point out that my client has very limited funds."

"It should be noted," Borgia said raising her voice slightly louder than her opponent's, "that she's also accused of killing both of her children."

"Remand," the judge said.

----

"You know what you alleged isn't true, right?" Melnick-McCoy said as they walked out of Part 19. "She wasn't in the right state of mind, therefore-."

"She could have sought help," Borgia countered. "She _had_ help in the way of her babysitter, of other agencies, family members, anyone."

"The babysitter who is but a child herself? What would one child know about raising another?"

Borgia turned on her heel. "Renee Maguire did a far better job by those two children than their mother did. And what happened? Your client sends her drug-crazed boyfriend to beat up that young girl!"

"Then it's his fault, isn't it? Not my client's. He was the one that made plans to sell the baby."

"And any mother with an ounce of common sense would have fought for that child's life!"

Danielle gave her a long look. "If this is how emotional you'll be during the trial; I'm fairly certain I'll win just based on logic. Good day, Miss Borgia."

---------

"You're beating up on the opposition already, Danielle?" Jack asked over dinner. "I know there's zealous representation, but there's also taking it a bit too far."

Danielle looked at her husband. "I'll consider it taking it too far if I find out you've helped the prosecution in any way, 'dear.' Sound fair?"

Jack shrugged. "All's fair in love and law, dear."

In the back of his mind, he knew this would be the high-wire act to beat all high-wire acts. He had his personal feelings about the Keith woman, remembering how things were left after he and Serena prosecuted Keith's boyfriend's mother.

History was about to repeat itself, and it sickened him that this time, the child – the children – were so young. He had spoken his thoughts about forced sterilization to co-workers in trials past. Someone like Tina Keith and others like her – men and women alike- proved to him that some people were never meant to be parents.

But, he didn't dare share any of this with his wife, because she took each case personally from start to finish, making her clients' causes her own. That was the one reason why Jack and Danielle had made a promise of never bringing work home with them.

He was thankful for the change of topics, even if it wasn't to a topic he cared for.

"How'd you do at the poker game the other night?" she asked with a mischievous grin on her face.

Jack held out a hand. "Give me the silly button. I was two dollars shy of besting you."

"Ha! Wait, only two dollars? What happened?"

"I was fine until we bet children," he deadpanned. "Lennie's got me two to one there."

She went to the desk drawer and pulled out the ugly button they had found when they went browsing through antique and second hand stores. Jack said it was the ugliest thing he ever saw. Danielle said it would have to be one heck of a wager to get caught wearing it….

Jack folded his hand around the cursed thing and said, "Do I have to have Nora take a picture?"

"Of course," she said.

-----------

Nora chuckled as she saw the button on Jack's sweater. "I'm glad I missed the poker game," she said.

"Why? You could have beaten Danielle and _she'd_ be wearing this, not me."

"Don't be so sure," Nora said. "What would have happened if you managed a tie?"

"It would have been a reprieve," he said handing her the digital camera. "Just shoot me now, all right?"

No sooner had Nora finished taking the picture, Jack removed the hideous button and shoved it into his pocket. "I'd flip a coin with you to decide who suffers the stupid staff meeting," Jack said, "but given my luck of late, let me just say, 'I'll go,' all right?"

Nora laughed. "Twist my arm, why don't you?" She handed Jack a message slip. "The girls will be by later today to pick our brains."

He glanced down at the appointed time. "And Ron hasn't had any problems with this?"

She shook her head. "Question is, will you? The Keith case…"

"Is Danielle's equivalent to dynamite this week," he said. "Of course I'll help the prosecution."

"It's your funeral."

--------

Connie Rubirosa looked at her partner and knew it wasn't such a good idea to let the other woman go to the funeral services a couple of weeks ago. But, Nina went, so Alex went.

"There's the idea of 'taking things personally' too far, you know," Connie said. "Don't think I'm trying to be cold-hearted, but-."

"They had no one else in their lives, Connie. Nina and I practically doubled the attendance of mourners."

To that, Connie had nothing to say. "So, defense is going to claim not guilty by reason of mental illness?" She shook her head. "What, the mother was a battered wife?"

Alex shrugged. "That's one angle. The other would probably be the drug-induced state of mind Tina was in and the sense of lost control with her daughter."

"It's flat out irresponsible behavior is what it is," Connie said a bit sharper than she wanted. "Sorry. I'm just not looking forward to this case or the other one we have coming up.

Alex handed Connie the psychologist's reports. "Here's what they're presenting at trial. Did you want me to call Skoda or Olivet to examine Mrs. Keith?"

"Olivet," she said without hesitation. "If Elizabeth's dealt with a tangent of this case before, that could help us out."

"Or keep her from the defense," Alex countered.

Connie smiled. "That, too." Taking notes of the information needed for another case, she said, "Let's just hope that this goes quickly and smoothly, because the last thing I want to do is put parenting on trial."

------

Nora and Jack listened to the evidence Rubirosa and Borgia had prepared for their case against Keith. Where there were weak points, the professors offered suggestions. By lunch hour's end, the women felt a bit more confident with their case.

"You don't see this as a conflict of interest?" Connie asked. "I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but you and Ron think an awful lot alike sometimes and that's rather spooky."

Jack shook his head smiling as Nora spoke up. "Ron wouldn't have let you talk to us if he thought it was more harmful than helpful."

"How's your other case shaping up? Any idea who the defense attorney is in that one?"

Connie referenced her folder and said, "Someone named Randolph Dworkin."

Jack made a face and Nora laughed.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later," Jack said. He thought a moment then said. "In the meantime, you two are certain about how you're going to call your witnesses? Miss Maguire is strong enough to testify?"

Connie nodded. "She's an amazing young lady. Of course-."

"Danielle's already made it clear she's going to say that it was the boyfriend's fault," Alex said quickly. "We've got a trial date set for him, too, but-."

"But, ultimately," Nora said calmly; she and Jack exchanging knowing looks regarding the young prosecutor's change in tone, "it's Tina Keith's responsibility of what happened to her children."

Jack got up to leave. "And it's any wonder why fathers are hated at times like these. Count on Danielle making that a major bright spot in her case, the 'absent' father in more ways than one," he said. "If you'll excuse me…"

Connie turned to Nora as soon as Jack left. "I confess there are times he intimidates me and I hardily had a chance to work with him."

"Sometimes," Alex said nodding, "he scares the hell out of me."

Nora chuckled. "Oh, believe me, many a colleague who has worked with Jack can tell you he's a teddy bear at heart. However, if you need something to remind you that he isn't always an 'iron man' to fear…" She pulled up the image of Jack in the ludicrous button and showed it to the two younger women.

"Mind if I get a copy of that?" Connie asked. "As a regular reminder," she added. Alex asked for one as well. Nora obliged, printing two copies of the picture she took earlier that morning.


	10. Labeling

Chapter 10: Labeling

Alex Borgia found herself back in Part 19, this time with the arraignment of Kenneth De Palma for the murder of Terrance Dahashi. She didn't like the expression on Jack's face when Connie mentioned who the defense was.

If the sound of his voice was any indication why Jack disliked the man, Alex could think of more practical reasons for not liking someone.

"Your Honor," Randy Dworkin said as he approached the podium, "my client pleads 'not guilty.'"

"That's refreshing," said the judge. "Prosecution on bail?"

"Remand, your honor. Not only did Mr. De Palma commit cold blooded murder, but he tried to cover up his crime by means of arson."

Dworkin turned to look at her curiously. "That's a rather inflammatory comment, your honor, pun intended."

The judge gave Dworkin a look before lowering the gavel with an order of remand.

---

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure," Dworkin said holding a hand out to Alex. "Randolph Dworkin, but friends call me Randy."

"Mr. Dworkin, I've been warned about you – not too many details given as to why, but I've been warned."

He clicked his tongue, "Of course, you're from the D.A.'s office and if Jack McCoy's still there….Is he still there? I thought word had it that he was teaching his brand of cynicism to others."

"You're not cute, Mr. Dworkin," she said as she took the steps down as quickly as she could. Regretfully, he kept up with her.

"Yes, I am, but, you're cuter. What do you say to sushi at seven and we can watch the sunset?"

Alex turned on him. "What do you say to talking to your client about pleading out this case and saving taxpayers and his family the headaches and hassle-."

"Ah, that's so touching," Dworkin said putting a hand over his heart. "However, it is because of family that he's in this dilemma he's in. It's because of family that the alleged arson happened, and it's because of family that I'm moving to have this case dismissed."

"You can't be serious," Borgia said taking the blue-back from him. "And here I'd thought you'd try some lame defense as discrimination or something."

Dworkin nodded his head. "Actually, I am. See, it's all about the labels, Ms. Borgia. Can I call you Alex? Anyway, it's all about the labels –be it family surnames or what's on an application anymore. My client was acting out of self defense."

Borgia looked from the note to him in disbelief. "You're something else, Mr. Dworkin."

He smiled. "Thank you. So, what do you say? See you at seven?"

------

"I just have a bad feeling about this, that's all," Nora said. "I'm allowed that, aren't I?"

Jack nodded. "But, I don't want anyone to call a friend of mine a 'spinster' when we both know that isn't true. Besides, I wouldn't _dare _set up with a complete stranger – that _would_ be my death. Bret's a fairly decent fellow; I think you two will get along well."

Nora shook her head. "I'll never forgive you for this if this turns out to be the worse night of my night, Jack. In the meantime-."

"In the meantime, I'll have your collection of papers done by tomorrow." He studied her a moment. "Why do I get the feeling you did something more with that picture this morning than I want to know about?"

She shrugged. "I sent it to Danielle just like you asked me to."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "And what else, Nora?"

"Connie will be by later with a few more questions about the Keith case – preparing herself for the meeting with Liz," Nora said as she grabbed her coat. "I'm not kidding you, Jack. If this guy is a dweeb or a nerd or a bore or worse-."

"Did I call him any of those things?"

She shook her head. "No. Because, if you had, I would have made you call and cancel the date."

-------

Ed Green handed Alex the information she came over to retrieve. "Hope this helps," he said motioning for her to sit in Mike's seat until the other officer returned. "I've got to admit, I wasn't expecting to deal with Tina Keith again so soon."

"Was the first case that bad?" Alex asked, rummaging through her bag.

He nodded. "Not as bad as some others, but still…. You have to be pretty cold hearted to want to kill your child. That's what Ashburn's mother did; claiming she was doing society a favor. When Serena told me Tina Keith and Ashburn's baby was a boy, too…. Man."

They continued talking until Logan returned, three sodas in hand. "What's that?" he said pointing with a soda can before handing it to her.

She thanked him for the drink then said, "It's a silly picture Nora took because of the poker game." She handed it to Mike who let out a short laugh before he handed it to Ed.

"That's just wrong," Ed said shaking his head before returning it to Alex. He looked up and noticed an odd expression cross his partner's face. "What is it, man?"

Mike thrust Ed's soda at him with each word. "It's that damn picture on De Palma's desk! Why didn't I see it before?" He grabbed both of their coats and said, "Let's go back to the office and check it out carefully this time." To Alex he said, "Want to tag along?"

She shrugged. "I supposedly had a date-."

"The guy's probably a loser," Mike said elbowing her forward. "You'd have much more fun with us; trust me."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because _our_ social life's so exciting."

----------

Jack beat her to the office today, a rarity, Nora thought as she hung her coat up. "How was your date with Bret last night?" he asked.

She smiled, remembering the few times she asked him the same thing at Hogan Place, thankful that Jack had the sense enough _that time_ to not date in-house. "He was pleasant enough."

He raised his eyebrows. "'He was _pleasant_ enough?'" he mimicked. "Nora... I don't know what to say to that."

"You should; you're the one who-."

"I know, I know, but still... To say Bret was 'pleasant' enough is like saying 'Let's just be friends.' Nora, what did he do to deserve-?"

Nora laughed as she poured herself a cup of tea. "Just what I said, Jack. I might go out and have coffee with him again, who knows." She sat down and studied her friend closely, recalling the few times she had set him up on a blind date or two - after his first divorce, before and while she was at Hogan Place and each time he humored her by going.

"Want an early start on an ulcer?" she asked him. She debated all morning whether or not to tell him what she saw, then decided 'to heck with it.' It wasn't as if Alex Borgia was her and Jack's daughter.

"When did Danielle call you?"

This time she hid behind the lip of her cup, aware how he tried to feign annoyance when she and Danielle had an 'early morning gal chat.' There was no way she'd let Jack act childish on this one; she was going to say something about it at the next poker game and get Lennie, Joe and Mike on her side, if not most certainly Anita. "Alex and Randy."

Nora took a long slow drink from her cup, her eyes never leaving Jack's as the color drained from his face. Yes, she decided, it wasn't too early for an ulcer. Besides, it wasn't as if she didn't set him up for payback for the next poker game.

----------

Connie Rubirosa stared at the photo Logan handed her. "I still don't get it, detective," she said handing it back to him.

"This had _no business_ sitting on De Palma's desk! This photo's from Mrs. Webster's house. See that," he said pointing to the background "is where Dahashi's car was found and De Palma claimed that Dahashi dealt with Mrs. Webster more frequently than anyone else."

"So? That still doesn't prove that it's her-."

"Here," Logan said taking out a piece of paper," is a statement from Mrs. Webster and her son confirming that this photo was indeed theirs."

Connie shook her head. "Get to it, Mike."

"They gave it to _Dahashi_ a while ago. The frame's not the same, but that's beside the point." He turned the photo over. "Want to tell me why De Palma's claiming the nonsense's he's claiming if the proof's there in black and white, so to speak?"

"We're still shaking on proving motive, then," Connie said. "Dworkin's said he's going-."

"That dwarf? Come on, he's the one who would argue that just because you and his second cousin, twice removed, played on the same basketball team, you shouldn't be trying a case of his." Logan took out his notebook. "This is what we were able to confirm with absolute certainty about Dahashi's job hunting – only one place he applied to and had a call from. The only reference was his co-worker and landlord-neighbor who said he never told De Palma."

Connie looked at the new papers. "That still doesn't explain why-."

Logan pointed to a line on the application then pulled one of De Palma's papers for a similar job. "Now do you see it?"

Connie's eyes opened wide as it hit her, aware of Logan nodding his head beside her. "He's… He's…." She couldn't find the words she wanted just yet, but there was no doubt that De Palma was their man.

------

"To call my client a cold-blooded murder is heinous, slanderous, and wrong." Randy Dworkin paced in front of the jurors' box. "Ladies, my client, Kenneth De Palma was simply a man trying to get his family back, to eliminate, once and for all, the horrible, earned by foolish choices labels of 'bum' and 'absent father.' For trying to overcome that, ladies and gentlemen, he needs your notice for the good deeds; not the focus on the alleged bad deed."

Connie Rubirosa and Alex Borgia looked on in utter amazement at the statement Dworkin had made. Instead of painting the victim as an evil individual, Dworkin was painting his client as a victim of society.

Rubirosa leaned forward and whispered, "This will make things interesting."

That, thought Alex Borgia thought, was an understatement of the day. Neither woman had thought of addressing that part of De Palma's past until necessary. Evidently, Dworkin's client saw fit to say something then versus earlier.


	11. Meanings

Chapter 11: Meanings

"What's the meaning of this, Jack?"

He looked up and saw his wife at the door, livid. "I told you all's fair in love and law, Dani, so…"

"You had the _nerve_ to call Liz Olivet to your side before-?"

"I'm not prosecuting the case! And thank _Connie_ for her quick thinking about Liz. For the record, Liz's already finished her evaluation of your client, so feel free to counter-."

Danielle shook her head. "What else are you doing to try and undermine my case, Jack? We both know that the boyfriend is equally guilty."

"Ah ha!" he said pointing a finger at her. "So you believe your client's responsible for her actions here?"

"Of neglecting her children to a certain extent, but find me a perfect parent anywhere. Her boyfriend's the one who tried to sell their daughter. Her boyfriend's the one who abducted and terrorized Renee Maguire. Her boyfriend's the one who pressured Tina to kill her son."

Jack shook his head. "All of the evidence points to your client, Danielle. Don't worry I don't intend to tell the girls _all_ of your defense tricks. Just the ones they should obviously know by now."

Danielle chuckled, some of the tension fading from her shoulders. "That's sweet of you, dear, but that's a pathetic bluff if I've ever heard one."

"That was spoken with honesty," he said insulted. "What did Tina Keith hope to accomplish with her little girl? Why didn't she, as a mother, take both of her children someplace where-?"

"Look at her mother, Jack! The woman's spoken just as many words to her child as that Ashburn woman did. And for the record, _Mr._ Ashburn has been the one to sporadically check in on Tina." Danielle shook her head. "He even offered to take in his step-son's child into their home. What does that tell you?"

Jack leaned back. "That tells me that…" He paused, holding up a hand to his wife while he quickly dialed the phone. "Detective Green? It's McCoy. Foolish question for you guys regarding the Dahashi case."

Nora stepped in quietly, giving Jack a nod of greeting before chatting with Danielle.

"For the record," Nora said, "have you noticed that cute habit of his of late?"

Danielle leaned back conspiratorially and whispered, "Do you mean our 'adopting' two young women? No. Just so long as he doesn't try to impose a curfew on them or insist on meeting their perspective dates beforehand…"

"You should have seen his reaction when I told him about Alex and Randy," Nora whispered back.

"Oh, do tell it again. I'd _love_ to see this."

Jack glared at them while continuing his conversation with Green. When he finished, he hung up and looked at both of his 'wives.' "For the record, I'm not being an 'overprotective' wannabe parent to Alex or Connie. I just think Alex could do better than-."

"That's not true and you know it," Danielle said sharply. "Admit it; you hate Dworkin."

"Only because he's a fool," Jack said defensively as he picked up his coffee cup. "He'll ruin her! He'll-."

"He'll do something completely novel, Jack." Off his look, Nora said, "He'd have added to the Hogan Gossip Pool without actually having worked there."

The look on his face was almost as priceless as the earlier one, but this time, she won and they knew it. Changing subjects, she said, "So, when do you think Erin and her beau will marry?"

Nora kept her face neutral as first his neck, then his face reddened, worsening only because his wife enjoyed watching his discomfort, too. Silently, he set down his coffee cup, picked up the phone, and dialed. All the while, she sipped her tea, amazed that he fell for that one.

--------------

Alex continued prepping Nina Cassady for her testimony against Tina Keith. Satisfied that they left nothing to chance, they took a break.

"How was your date the other night?" Nina asked.

"Not bad. Randy Dworkin's cute."

"Cute?" Nina shook her head. "Cute as in - 'Barney the dinosaur cute' or what?"

"Just cute. We might go out again. Of course, something tells me that Connie, Jack or Nora will want to talk me out of it. Who needs my family when the one here can be just as bad?"

"Ah, but this family doesn't drive you crazy," Nina countered. She frowned.

Alex tilted her head. "What is it?"

"Just something…." Nina tried to shake it off. "Want to go check on the Maguire children with me?"

----

Joey Maguire was the first one to run up to Nina and hug her. "Where's Joe?" the young girl asked as she looked at Alex Borgia.

"He's helping others in need right now. I'm going back out there to join him soon, but first," she knelt down to be level with Joey, "I wanted to see how _you_ were doing."

The young girl nodded. "All right, I guess. Renee's trying to get a place of our own, away from our mom. Think you can help?"

Nina and Alex exchanged glances. "Maybe," Alex said, careful not to promise something she couldn't guarantee. "Your sister's old enough to be considered an adult, so-."

"_I_ know she's an adult! Sheesh, I'm not slow or anything," Joey said.

"Josephine!"

Joey turned as her older sister approached her. "Hey, Renee. Nina's here to see _me._"

Nina smiled. "Actually, we're her to talk to you and Renee; aren't we, Alex?"

Alex nodded. "Is there someplace we can talk…?" Alex asked as Joey reluctantly went to rejoin her other siblings.

"Stop sulking, Joey. I'll be back in a bit," Renee said. Then the three women went to a room on the opposite side of the floor.

"Miss Borgia, I'm ready to testify, so-."

"That isn't why we're here to see you," Alex said.

Nina took a deep breath before she began. "Earlier, you said to Detective Fontana and me that you would have 'taken care of things your way.' What did you mean by that?"

This was the first Alex had heard of this and was equally curious as to the young woman's answer.

Renee took a small piece of paper from her shirt pocket. "These were some folks who claimed to help with adoptions and such. Had I acted so much sooner…Kylie and Keith would be with me and my siblings and we'd be on the other side of New York by now."

"Did you ever get in touch with these people?" Alex asked. If she could use this as evidence of someone preparing to step in on behalf of the two children before all of this happened, then….

Renee nodded. "I called them and the person who answered the phone told me I was too young to even consider such a thing, that it would be a phase I'd 'grow out of.' Tried again a couple of days later and got someone else. _She _said she'd give me the necessary forms and to arrange coming in to talk with her."

"When was that? Do you remember?" Alex asked. She felt bad – it was Nina who wanted to ask Renee questions, and here she took over.

"A week before…" Renee drew the back of her sleeve across her eyes. "Look, I already had the forms and everything. I just needed someone who could legally sign off on them. This firm didn't do that, or take me seriously."

Nina patted Renee's hand. "We do. Miss Borgia and I will look into this. And count on Joe helping out, too."

Renee gave a weak smile. "I'll admit, Joey really likes you two. What a shame you guys don't have room for kids like us, huh?"

Nina turned away quickly as Alex copied the name and number of the business in question on the back of one of her cards. When she finished, Alex gave Renee the slip of paper back along with her own card, her home number written on the back.

---------

Danielle Melnick-McCoy finished giving her opening statement then resumed her seat. She went over the prosecution's witness list and the one name she didn't want to call was included on there. If things went the way she hoped, Danielle wouldn't have to deal with that witness for at least another day.

In the meantime, even though her husband wasn't in the courtroom, Danielle was fully aware that he was following this case closely.

She was impressed with how Rubirosa handled the first witness, a nurse at the preschool Keith had attended. It was to the point, professional….a thorough pain for Melnick-McCoy to deal with on cross.

"Wouldn't you say children Keith's age tend to get hurt a lot? After all, they're full of energy, haven't quite mastered balance and are eager to let nothing go by them unnoticed."

The nurse nodded. "True, but a child like Keith shouldn't have bruised _where_ he did-."

"Isn't it possible that those bruises were as a result of some rough-housing on the children's part? Or, and I don't mean this to sound so scandalous, but, another teacher having left those marks on him?"

The nurse kept her gaze even. "_None_ of the teachers _smoke cigars_," she said.

Danielle backed away, aware of a new snag on her side of the case. "No more questions for this witness," she said and sat down.

-------

During the recess, Danielle lay in on her client. "How could you _not_ tell me about those burns, Tina?"

"I didn't mean to…I mean he didn't mean to… You know how kids are!"

Danielle closed her eyes. She knew her thoughts on children and that was one of the reasons why she chose not to have any. Besides, her husband had a daughter, so that was one less worry, of sorts. But, that was neither here nor there. "Children do not run into lit cigars or cigarettes!" She had said each word slowly and deliberately.

The first witness successfully put her client into a shameful light. The second was no better – explaining how often permission slips came back smelling of either illegal substances or covered with beer rings. It was only once in a great while that the staff could translate the so-called signature.

"Tina," Danielle said at last. "I need you to tell me _everything_ I need to know….now."

-----

"Now you want me to do _what?_" Joe Fontana asked surprised. "Nina, are you out of your mind? I know I might be a bit more financially stable than you are, but…I am _not_ parental material!"

"Joe-."

He shook his head and waved his hands for emphasis. "No. Not gonna happen, Nina. I love those kids, too. But, if you or I tried to take in _every_ child we've come across in all of our cases…. No."

Nina let out a sigh of defeat. "Well, could you at least help me try and find them something? Please?"

He opened his mouth to say 'no' again, then closed it again, mulling something over. "You know how long Children's Services tends to take on such things, right?" Nina nodded. "All right then. Let me make a phone call. The kids are certain they want to stay in New York?"

"I think Renee's just looking to get her family someplace safe. Why?"

"Just…in case this works, they might be looking at Jersey. Might, I said." He grabbed something from the vending machine then descended down the stairs. "Hey, Patrick! Yeah, it's your brother Joey. Look, how serious are you and your wife looking at having a large family?"

----------

Connie Rubirosa looked at her partner and noticed a troubled look on her face. "What's wrong? We've won the first round today."

"I know," Alex said. "It's just…We'd be pushing this hard if the family in question was like ours, right?" Off of Connie's look, Alex added , "Not poor, not living in the projects and such."

Connie shook her head. "It doesn't matter where the family comes from, be it the victim's or the suspect's. What matters is justice. Give Fontana and Cassady some time and I'm sure we'll have the boyfriend in no time. Then they can both pay for what they did."

After a while, Connie wondered about something. "You didn't do anything foolish, did you?"


End file.
